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Volunteer experiences are great experiences to have on your resume, and in a lot of cases, can give you just as much or more experience than a job can! Volunteer experience doesn't just help the world and make you feel good, but it also broadens your network and helps you build skills!

Research from LinkedIn shows that 1 out of every 5 hiring managers in the U.S. has hired someone based on their volunteer experience! In the same LinkedIn research, a survey of nearly 2000 professionals found that 89% said they had experience volunteering, but only about 45% included this on their resume. Nearly half of the professionals surveyed said that when they evaluated candidates for jobs, they considered volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience. Both short term and long term volunteer work is great experience!

Fact: The entire Office of Career Services Team has served as an AmeriCorps corps member!

So, with so many positive points about volunteering, there is not really any excuse not to have some volunteer work on your resume to build your experience before applying for traditional jobs. So what are you waiting for?

Bay State College Volunteers is a Facebook Page with the Office of Career Services and Student Activities set up to showcase current opportunities in the local area. You'll also want to check the Community Service page within Student Activities.

Volunteer Match has lots of opportunities in the region. Just type in your zip code or city name, and you’re on your way! You can define your parameters and see the opportunities that match your interests.

Idealist.org is a great site! You can find short and long term volunteer opportunities, as well as internships and jobs! So, the sky is the limit on this site!

Bostoncares.org is a great place to find local and regional volunteer opportunities. There’s a member fee and a small training session you must attend, but after that, you can volunteer for both short and long term positions.

Long Term Experiences

Serve a year (or two, or three) in AmeriCorps and serve a community while also earning a stipend and an education award. There are many different kinds of service work you can perform and you can earn a living stipend, qualify for federal benefits, such as food stamps, federal loan forbearance, and other benefits like medical insurance. AmeriCorps has National and State Programs, NCCC, and VISTA positions. Check them out!

City Year’s mission is to build democracy through citizen service, civic leadership and social entrepreneurship. It is through service that we can demonstrate the power and idealism of young people, engage citizens to benefit the common good, and develop young leaders of the next generation. City Year is wholly focused on fighting the national dropout crisis. We have committed to leverage the talent, energy and idealism of corps members to serve as tutors, mentors and role models in schools to help students stay on track – and get back on track – to graduate.